Conman who framed innocent drivers jailed

A CONMAN helped speeding drivers evade fines and penalty points by framing innocent people, including his own family members.

Khuram Yaqoob, 35, was jailed along with 18 other individuals, including a secondary school teacher, who paid him hundreds of pounds to avoid prosecution.

The scam, known as "NIP farming," saw Yaqoob submit false names and addresses of properties he owned to the police. This would cause them to waste time investigating fictitious individuals, ultimately resulting in the collapse of the prosecution.

Some drivers even implicated innocent family members to avoid penalty points or fines.

Yaqoob, identified as the ringleader, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court alongside his co-defendants after an investigation by West Yorkshire Police, called Operation Scrollmen. Judge Jonathan Rose stressed the need for "deterrent and punitive sentences" for those undermining the justice system.

Yaqoob was sentenced to three years and four months in prison after admitting conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Police also uncovered WhatsApp conversations on Yaqoob's phone that listed people who had used his scam.

In 2021, Yaqoob finished serving a five-year and three-month sentence for firearms offenses.

Whitestones

Rochdale Solicitors